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November 8, 2013

We're experiencing temporary technological difficulties

Good morning, my dears, I hope that your Friday morning is off to a fantastic start. This post, which I'm writing mere minutes before it goes live, can largely be summed up its title. You will note that I intentionally said "technological difficulties", instead of the more commonly used "technical difficulties". The reason for that is because it is indeed technology that's been causing me some trouble as of late.

You see my laptop, my beloved, trusty workhorse of a laptop, which I've had some 4.5 years now, has finally come to the end of its life. It has a number of issues that are all compounding its demise, but the most problematic is one with its power cord socket (where the cord plugs in), an issue that is notorious amongst Sony Vaios, of which it is one. Over the years (the last two years, to be exact), we've bought many new cords for it, but even that no longer does the trick, and coupled with some other issues (such a the fact that its operating speed has become slower than molasses being poured at the North Pole), it's hard to get it to turn on any more, let alone hold any kind of battery charge.

For nearly all of the past two days, I couldn't get it to do either, but have finally been able to once again today, and so I'm feverishly writing this post while I still can!

Last night, after a few days of carefully weighing numerous potential new replacement options in our price range, Tony and I decided that a Lenovo laptop would be a great fit for my needs, and so we ordered one online.

According to the website, it may take up to 15 business (not calendar) days to ship, plus the actual shipping time itself, so when all is said and done, that could be as long as a month from now. That's a worst case scenario though, and I'm hoping that it will in fact be more like ten to fifteen days (but only time will tell).

It's entirely possibly that before the new Lenovo arrives, this one will go to the great computer room in the sky however, and if it does, my online presence may drop down to just what I'm able to do from my phone.

I have numerous posts written and slated to go live already for much of the rest of the month, and have opted to leave those up for now, and as always, will try to reply to comments, visit your wonderful blogs, spend time on social media sites and the like, as best I can with a current laptop that may really and truly sing its last tune at any given moment.

{We've come a long way from the days of most computers filling whole rooms as they did back in the 1950s when this photograph was taken at Vassar. I can't help but relate though to the woman's somewhat defeated/exasperated expression here, as it's not too far off from the ones I've been flashing while contenting with a laptop on its very last legs this week. Image source.}

Soon enough though, my new computer will here and after a brief "getting to you" period with it, all should be as right as rain once more. Huzzah! :)

Still, as I've already been online less lately because of this situation, and may likely be in the coming days, I just wanted to give you all a head's up and let you know why such may continue to be the case until my new computer arrives (dealing with a nearly dead laptop has also postponed my ability to get my Halloween costume post up this week, as I'd initially planned, but rest assured that, even if it's towards the end of the month, it will appear here asap!).

Aside from that, most things have been well so far during the first week of November. We made it to antiques & collectibles show on November 1st (that I mentioned here) and had a total blast - with, naturally, a bit of shopping to be had. The first snowfall graced our ground on Monday (though it didn't stick around long), and here, as with most everywhere, the stores are all gearing up big time for Christmas already, just as my own thoughts are thinking ever more to the approaching holiday season.

My new laptop is my present (and then some) this year, and what a tremendously awesome gift it will be! Just think of all the blog posts, for starters, that will be written on it in the months and years to come!

I love this image a true classic! You could insert yourself into this image. There was this artist the other day that I was looking at that inserted herself into BW photographs this is so much fun. I did it once last year where I put myself into Grand Central Station, but I'm going off on another tangent:) Good luck with your new computer! We had the same thing happen with us and we bought a new battery but thing is we ended up getting rid of the laptop soon after anyways because it was so slow. So, I'm sure you will be so happy you've upgraded! Have a lovely weekend dear Jessica!

You always know just what to say to make me smile and feel okay, dearest Joanna, thank you very much. I'm quite certain I'll be super pleased with this upgrade, too. It will be hard to say goodbye once and for to "old faithful" whenever that day comes (and come, it will soon, for sure - it could be any minute now, I feel like I'm playing a bit of a game of laptop Russian roulette at the moment! :D), but I like to think that I'm on to bigger and better things with the new Lenovo, and that helps make parting with the old one a fair bit easier.

Oh, no! Sorry, dear. When that happened to me, I thought the world was going to come to an end. It's incredible how dependent we've become on our technology. The good new is all computers can be replaced and the process isn't hard. You'll be up and running in no time. Good luck!

Thank you very much, dear Ally. So true, for many of us, our computers have become a near vital part of our lives. Much like when the car or a household appliance breaks down, we usually have little choice but to replace it (the computer) right away, so that we can go on functioning like we normally do (especially if one relies on the computer/web for any percentage of their income, as we do at our house).

I'm excited about the new Lenovo. It's a great computer on paper and I'm hoping it will be in person, too. It's a bit tough to say goodbye to my old Sony friend, but the time has come to put it out to pasture, and I'm at peace with that.

Oh, what a pain...but new laptop, hooray! Aaron just bought a new Lenovo laptop, a couple of weeks ago, and so far so good (although Windows 8 is proving to be a bit of a learning curve). I must admit the phrase 'slower than molasses being poured at the North Pole' gave me a good chuckle!!!!! I'm going to have to borrow that one! :) I hope your new laptop arrive sharpish - and that your current one can hold out a bit longer before completely conking out! xx

Sorry to hear this about your computer, dear Jessica. I hope it can continue to operate until arriving at home your new one. I could die of despair if you can not publish your wonderful post in all that time ...

Same thing happened to me over the summer and thought I would lose my marbles! This laptop I have now is a gift to myself for sure. It is a must have! I hope you get your new one soon! Fingers and toes crossed!! xox

Thank you very much. ♥ I remember that, dear gal. I'm really sorry you had to go through it this year as well. I'm a bit amazed mine lasted this long, as its power chord issues have been there for about two years now. Hopefully the new Lenovo will run like clockwork, complete with a good battery life and no power chord issues, for years. Computers are too pricey to replace at the drop of a hat!!!

Changing technology is such a huge pain in the butt. We put it off until it is no longer possible to hold off any longer. I hope your new computer is up and running soon and that the epically slow Canada Post doesn't let you down. Maybe it's being shipped via UPS? Much better chances of getting it on time : )

That woman's face cracks me up. She looks like she is about to be sick. How many times have I looked at my computers or cameras with the same face? I don't want to count.

I was much the same way. I really felt a bond with this laptop - it had been with me for almost the same amount of time as this blog, and knowing that I'll soon be parting with it forever is like saying goodbye to a dear friend. Still, when the end has come, the end has come, and one just has to move on and hope they like their next computer every bit as much (or more).

Thank you very much for your great comment - have a beautiful weekend!♥ Jessica

I have had a lot of problem with my 3 years old laptop a few months ago... I even saw smoke and smelt a burn odor.... so we chose to buy a tablet... that was not easy to go from PC to a tablet... tablet is not good to blog!Fortunatly,my father, who knows how to do everything, managed to repaired my old laptop!Good luck for your new one!

Oh my goodness, now that is scary!!! I've seen (and experienced) laptops get so warm (overheat to the point there) they shut off on their own, but never smoke coupled with a burning smell. That must have been really freaky to have happen. Thank goodness your father was able to help out on the laptop front. I completely agree, tablets are not my first choice for blogging either - though they are preferable to trying to do so from one's cell phone.

That is very, sweetly touching, dear Beate, thank you! With a bit of luck, and a lot of coaxing, hopefully this one will remain at least vaguely operational until the new computer arrives. Tony said that the Lenovo site is estimating a shipping date of November 28th, then you need a few days for the transit time on top of that, so it's looking like it will probably get here in early December. Hopefully sooner, but I'm not holding my breath.

I do indeed, and I am floored beyond words and appreciate with all my heart for that profoundly awesome honour from Ally. I feel as happy as though I'd just won an Oscar, only this special award means all the more because it's from a dear online friend.

I am sorry you are having laptop trouble, hope your new one arrives soon. We have a Vaio too and your description of its operating speed made me laugh out loud as that is exactly what ours is like! I often turn it on then go away and do something else whilst waiting so that I don't shout at it! It doesn't hold it's charge for longer than 10minutes either. I hope yours keeps plodding along until you have your new one!

Thank you very much, darling gal. It's a shape that the Vaios were so plagued with various issues (I'm sorry that you've had to contend with these kinds of problems, too). I love mine dearly and would have happily bought another to replace it, if it weren't for the power chord and speed/battery life problems. Oh well, time to give a new (to me) brand a spin. Tony's used Lenovos for work on the over and has some really high praise to sing of them, so hopefully I will with mine, too.

Thank you very much, sweet Kim. I feel quite lucky, all things considered, because it isn't (knock wood!) one of those situations where everything crashed and was lost (had that happen once around the end of 2005/start of 2006, it was brutal - but teach me the unending importance of doing regular backups!). Still, it's never fun with one's computer is one its very last legs. Hopefully the new one and I will get on swimmingly and have many happy years together!

Oh, do I know the problem. My pc is about seven years old and has become unstable too. I am prepared that it will not last much longer. Ough! :( Next Thursday I have a great post about my dad's very old and very rare Harley from 1925. I hope you read it. Both dad and his mc are very charming. :) Wishing you both a lovely weekend and hope your laptop arrives quickly. I'm a true addict, so I'll miss your lovely writing. :)

Thank you very much, dear Sanne. I'm thoroughly impressed by how long your laptop has lasted. Seven years is almost unheard of! I'm sorry that it's on its last legs, too. It's interesting, isn't it, how we can often sense when the end is near with our beloved electronic devices?

So long as this (old) laptop wants to turn on and hold any kind of charge, I'll be here as much as I can (like usual). But if it does suddenly "pass away" for good, then things will get quieter. Fingers crossed that doesn't happen.

Here's hoping it all happens hastily! I know, a little over the top, it just seemed to flow...

Well, dear Jessica, I know how it is waiting for those online order deliveries. We love your happy little responses and will miss your presence, but it is good to know that you are such and organized gal and have post in the queue for us to enjoy.

Oh Jessica, I understand your distress. We have gone through this twice in past year. First mine just before Christmas last year and in the middle of a major project and then Mister's just last month. I decided to go back to a desktop and give Mister my new laptop. I will still have access to the laptop for travel and meetings, but the desktop is so much better equipped to handle all of my photo processing. Not to mention easier on my eyes since the screen is twice the size of what I was working on before. I still think I need glass.

Fifteen days isn't that long and could be a nice break from all of the online noise. Sounds like a perfect opportunity to bang out a project at home and then tell us all about it once you are back online. We will miss your lovely posts and comments while you are gone, but will wait patiently and greet you enthusiastically upon your return.

That's interesting to know, as I was signed up on email to receive your blog posts and all your recent posts have been going to spam, which has never been a problem before. This means I am annoyingly late in reading them as I only check spam occasionally (probably not as often as I should), and then get all the posts in a big batch (this is despite me ticking "not spam"!). So I have unsubscribed by email and resubscribed on bloglovin and so far no problems, thank goodness! There are few things as irritating as these kind of difficulties, in my experience. Also, since I have downloaded iOS7 on my iPad (which I use to read & comment on blogs), it hasn't recognised any of the comment boxes, so I have to comment on the main PC which takes a lot more time. I've googled for help but the suggestion I found still doesn't work, so I'll be commenting on the PC for now. Um, just need to get that off my chest and also to reassure you, you aren't alone! I really hope everything's up and running for you again soon, as I am looking forward to some of those posts you have scheduled to appear, and really enjoy reading everyone's comments!

Vent away absolutely anytime you'd like, my dear friend! I've had a few emails that were supposed to land in my inbox turn up in the spam filter over the years, too. It certainly can be frustrating! Thank you for following by Bloglovin' now, I really appreciate that (as I do all three of your wonderful blog comments this morning).

It's such a pain when things go wrong with computers, especially when you're so attached to the one you have. I hope your new laptop arrives soon and it will be as wonderful as expected! (I think if I had to work with the computer in that photo, I'd be making that face too! :P )

Hi everyone, thank you very much for your lovely, understanding comments. I sincerely appreciate them. ♥

My old computer is still holding in there (I haven't turned it off - in the hopes that not doing so will help it stay alive longer), so as long as it does, I should still be here as often as usual. It's just if it gives up the ghost, so to speak, entirely that things will get a bit quiet on my end for a little while. Fingers crossed that doesn't happen!

I'm sorry to hear your laptop finally kicked the bucket, ours did last year when we got an upgrade. However, there is nothing so exciting as getting a new piece of technology!! Enjoy your new computer! {I also hope it gets there asap!}

Thank you very much, honey. It's 99.9% out to pasture at this point...I'm hoping to no end that it manages to hold out until the new one arrives. I'm not turning it off. I fear that if I do, I'll never get to flick back on again (especially after not being able to do do for two days last week). Fingers crossed!!!

I'm Jessica, a lifelong lover of all things antique and vintage, especially those from the 1930s, 40s and 50s.

This blog is my visual scrapbook in which I record and share my thoughts on the multitude of sources, people and products that inspire and feed a modern gal's addiction to the past. I also post about the vintage clothes, hairstyles and make-up looks that I adore wearing.

Stay a spell and have a blast as we explore the incomparably fantastic world of vintage history and fashion together.

All images used on this site are credited to their original posters/creators/sources,
however if at any time you would prefer not to see one of your images here, please email me and I'll take it down right away.

PS...I just wanted to say thank you very much for visiting and to tell you that you're equal parts awesome and beautiful.